1. Dana Ludvik, picked by Jon of Happy Mundane.

Jon says, "The first image of that cozy sweater really set the tone for this board. There's a nod to traditional elements but totally re-interpreted in a bright modern way. I especially love all the pops of color and graphic motifs. Overall, I think Dana's vision is playful, stylish, warm, and a whole lot of fun- just what I feel a Modern Thanksgiving should be!"

2. Kaitlyn Rawley, picked by Lindsay of MStetson Design.

Lindsay says, "Comfy sweaters and moody landscapes with a beautiful mix of vintage, modern, and handmade touches throughout. Not to mention a vintage Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade homage. Guests Meryl Streep, Julie Andrews, and Gene Kelly really sealed the deal."

2. Julie Kang, picked by Anna of In Honor of Design.

Anna says, "I loved the way her board had an overall theme of fresh, innovative, and modern aesthetic with a warm undertone of colors. Very creative and fun! I even bookmarked some of her finds!"

Crisp white pumpkins and speckled squash is a fun way to design a natural centerpiece. Image via Centsational Girl.

A table filled with beautiful blooms, lined with a silvery tablecloth and a mix of candles is elegant with out feeling overly formal. Image via Rosemary on the TV.

Orange and rust feel seasonal and on-trend. Image via The Decoist.

Pretty and inviting: we love tall candles in glass wine bottles. Image via This is Glamorous.

Fresh cut florals, wooden serving trays and tea lights look simply elegant. Image via Savvy Young Something.

Meet Anna...

What’s your 9-to-5?

I am a graphic designer and lifestyle blogger, which is a creative mind’s dream. I get to try a little bit of everything. Styling, branding, event design, etc. I am a mom of two little ones and work from home. It’s a learning process of being able to be present to them and get my work done as well. Its fun to see their personalities grow and their own creative side develop.

Where are you from originally?

I grew up in Ohio- the Cincinnati and Columbus area, and started college there as well. After my family moved down south, I followed, and the weather sucks you in and doesn’t let you leave!

Where do you live now?

We live in the north Atlanta area. It’s a beautiful part of Georgia where the mountains are to the north of us, and the city right below us.

What’s your decorating style?

I tend to lean towards modern eclectic design. However, since marrying my husband, I have noticed his classic style influencing me more and more.

Tell us about your Modern Thanksgiving board.

I noticed touches of gold creeping their way into many of the pins. I also love natural touches. Evergreen sprigs, pears, and driftwood. Making your guests feel at home with personal touches, adding a little fun to the environment with holiday drinks and appetizers, and of course enjoying each other’s company. This is the overall theme of the board!

Any tips for holiday entertaining?

I have to confess I have hosted many parties, but never a thanksgiving dinner until this year! It will be my first time hosting. I think its important to make the surroundings come alive. Music, good food and drinks, and even just a little decor can do the trick.

How about styling the holiday table? Any good tricks?

If you have one or two elements that tie everything together you can have a little more freedom to mix colors and textures. I realize I kind of style the table in layers. I always start with an inspiration piece and go from there.

What’s your favorite DwellStudio product? How does it fit into your décor plan?

The gold ribbon vases. That is what I call an inspiration piece to make a whole table set up out of.

What are the 3 things you cannot live without?

Well not counting my husband and children (a given!): Music, Sense of humor, and a GPS.

Any go-to host gifts?

I recently bought a pumpkin bread mix and apple butter combo wrapped up nicely for a hostess gift. It’s a fun alternative to a bottle of vino!

Images courtesy of In Honor of Design.

Meet Lindsay!

Where are you from originally?

I am originally from the Pacific Northwest (the Seattle/Tacoma area).

Where do you live now?

I currently live in Eastside Costa Mesa, California.

What’s your decorating style?

I would describe my style as modern with odes to mid-century modern throughout. I love a graphic black and white palette accented with warm, organic wood and hits of bright colors (like DwellStudio citrine!).

Tell us about your Modern Thanksgiving board.

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate and be thankful for our blessings—a perfect opportunity to balance some more formal, traditional pieces with approachable, comfortable items. I want to include some earthenware items juxtaposed with splashes of gold and sparkle, raw wood paired with high-gloss shine.

Any go-to host gifts?

I am a big fan of plants; flowers die, but the plant can be kept for years. I love succulents specifically, as they require little watering and care. I’ll choose to personalize the gift to the recipient through selecting the right planter or adding a cute tag or garden marker.

Any tips for holiday entertaining?

I’m a planner; I like to have most of the items completed or delegated prior to the event, however, I try to remember to give myself grace during the event. I want to spend quality time with my guests, not be stressing over the preparation or presentation of the next dish.

What’s your favorite DwellStudio product? How does it fit into your décor plan?

I have been on the hunt for the right artwork for our apartment; I have framed pieces and some canvases and prints, but I’ve been oogling over the Folded Brass Wall Décor piece. I love it’s layered, graphic shapes in the sculptured brass.

How about styling the holiday table? Any good tricks?

A simple centerpiece. With all the dinnerware and decadent food for Thanksgiving, I like to keep the centerpieces low to avoid visual barriers between guests. A few small pieces down the center should do it—just mix a few votives with small, simple florals or pumpkins and voilà!.

What are the 3 things you cannot live without?

Being a graphic designer my iphone and mac are pretty high on that list, a great lip balm/lipstick, and my precious (and crazy) German Shorthaired Pointer, Hazel.

What’s inspiring you right now?

Textures. I’m so inspired by a mix of textures and how they interplay with one another both in visual and tactile qualities.

Have you entered our Modern Thanksgiving contest? Enter for a chance to win a $1000 shopping spree on DwellStudio.com, ends this Thursday, 11/15! Enter here >

Without further ado... Meet Jonathan!

What’s your 9-to-5?

I'm the Creative Director and founder of J3 Productions, a design/marketing agency... and I'm also editor of Happy Mundane.

Where are you from originally?

I was born in New York, but grew up in Orange County, California.

Where do you live now?

Irvine, CA

What’s your decorating style?

One part graphic/modern, add a dash of mid-century vintage, and filter it all through the playful and relaxed Southern California lifestyle.

Tell us about your Modern Thanksgiving board.

Thanksgiving for me is all about feeling warm and cozy. I was imagining a home filled with rustic charm, but accented with modern pieces. The color palette is a mix of deep prussian blues, rich shades of green glass, rust oranges, and little hits of black and walnut wood tones. Thanksgiving is also all about the food, so I definitely included some yummy recipes!

Any tips for holiday entertaining?

Don't get too stressed out about needing to have everything perfect. The holidays are all about enjoying time with friends and family, so don't be afraid to use a little help! Ask friends and guests to help set the table, or utilizing some pre-made goodies from the store instead of having to make everything from scratch. It's important to stay relaxed so you can enjoy the moment!

What’s your favorite DwellStudio product? How does it fit into your décor plan?

I really love all the decorative accessories that DwellStudio has right now. The Tubular burst objet is such a statement piece and very glamorous and chic. However, it's the new Art Shop that really has my attention. I find that I usually use a piece of artwork as the starting point when I start to decorate a space. I love all the colors in any of the abstract watercolor pieces (peach pink, citrine green, black orange). They would totally be the crown jewel of a room.

How about styling the holiday table? Any good tricks?

I like to keep things simple. The food should be the star, so you don't really need much on the table. A small cluster of votive candles in clear glasses can give just enough of a glow and give the table some sparkle. Also, don't forget about varying the heights of items on a table. Use cake stands or other items underneath plates to not only add visual interest, but maximize table space.

We love this Fall centerpiece by Jonathan that carries from Halloween through Thanksgiving!

Any go-to host gifts?

I usually grab some yummy cookies and goodies from a local bakery. If you don't end up eating them at the party, then it becomes a nice "thank you" treat that the host can enjoy afterwards.

What are the 3 things you cannot live without?

My iphone, yummy food, and music that has a good beat.

Current inspirations:

I'm currently obsessed with a lot of design and craft books from the 1970s. Even though I lived through most of it, I don't think I was old enough to really appreciate what was happening. I'm finding so many of the ideas and concepts that were being explored then stll so relevant to the times we live in today.

Enter our Modern Thanksgiving contest for 3 chances to win a $1000 shopping spree on DwellStudio.com... ends this Thursday, 11/15! Enter here >

For this year's contest we want you to design your dream Modern Thanksgiving on Pinterest. From tablesetting, to color palette, to ideal guests, we want to see how you would host a Modern Thanksgiving!

Here’s how it works:

1. Follow DwellStudio on Pinterest.

2. Create a board titled "Modern Thanksgiving".

3. Pin the contest image (see below) to your board.

4. Outfit your board an assortment of holiday entertaining images, inspirational interiors, tabletop accessories, dream guests. Be creative! Make sure to use at least 3 DwellStudio products.

5. Use hashtag #ModernThanksgiving on each pin.

6. Submit your contest board to blog@dwellstudio.com* by 11/15

7. On November 19th, we will announce 3 winners, picked by our guest blogger judges.

Meet the Judges:

Anna of In Honor of Design | Jonathan Lo of Happy Mundane | Lindsay of MStetson Design

Winners:

Each blogger with choose one winner. That's a total of 3 winners!

The Prizes:

Three $1000 shopping sprees on dwellstudio.com

Here's the contest Image... now start pinning!

We can't wait to see your boards!!

*By submitting your contest board to blog@dwellstudio.com, you are agreeing to be included on future DwellStudio emails.

This Thanksgiving, I’ve been thinking so much about the physical accoutrements of entertaining – the placemats, the votives, the plates– but what about that intangible, all-important aspect of being a host AND a guest, the etiquette!

Etiquette might seem like an outdated concept, a throwback to white gloves and tea gowns. So what is modern etiquette? What rules should we remember to live by this Thanksgiving? 

I consulted some ultra-reliable sources, the Emily Post Institute (why not go straight to the Etiquette Queen?) and the English etiquette authority Debrett’s (and who knows more about etiquette than the English?), and came up with a few key tips for gracefully navigating the holiday party season. 

For the host:

- As a host, invite your guests at least a month in advance, longer for any guests who might be traveling (Whoops, missed that deadline!)

- In the invitation, make sure you’re clear about what kind of event it is – how formal or informal – so people don’t over- or under-dress.

- If people are staying with you, set a beginning and end for the visit, so there’s no misunderstanding or awkwardness. Three days is typically a good duration for a visit.

- Be as flexible as possible – Debrett’s says, “You must be infinitely accommodating”! If a guest asks to bring a friend and you have the room, you should try to include them! Similarly, if a guest has any dietary restrictions, do your best to accommodate them. 

For the guest:

- RSVP and do it promptly! If you’ve been invited as a family or with guests, let your host know exactly how many people will be coming. Don’t show up with uninvited guests. 

- According to Debrett’s, one must never reply via email to an invitation that wasn’t sent by email – in other words, a snail-mail invitation requires a snail-mail response, unless the invitation offers an email address as an RSVP option. (Not sure I follow this rule, though about half the invites I get are evites, so that might let me off the hook!)

- Offer to contribute to the meal, but follow your host’s lead. If you or your guests have special dietary restrictions, the Emily Post Institute recommends offering to bring a dish that meets those needs: “Grace is a vegetarian – I’d love to bring a delicious tofu dish if that’s OK with you.”

- Don’t be late! Respect your hosts’ effort and planning. And – a related tip – leave on time. Don’t overstay your welcome! - Offer to help clean up.

- Avoid controversial or painful subjects. As the Emily Post Institute says, “This is a day to be together in a spirit of generosity and thankfulness for all you do have. Let it be so.”

- Say thank you with a phone call or a note. Emily Post suggests a handwritten thank you note, but I never do that – is it OK to email your thank you??? 

This season I will make an attempt to write a physical thank you note to my hosts. I really do think nothing is better.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

CAITLIN!

Grabbing the second place slot is Sarah and coming in 3rd is Diana!

Congrats to everyone, we were seriously inspired by all of your boards and can't wait to see what you can do next year!

Here's another look at our winners:

Be sure to email us: blog@dwellstudio.com to claim your prizes! 

Will you be embracing a simplistic table this Thanksgiving?

** And don't forget to vote in our Modern Thanksgiving Contest! Voting ends tonight...** 

Thank you to everyone who entered our Modern Thanksgiving Contest! We were seriously blown away by all the amazing entries - and will gladly accept an invite to any of your Thanksgivings.

Our team of judges have reviewed all the entries and picked our 5 finalists!

Head over to Facebook now to start voting!

(And read about the finalists after the jump!)

Textile Designer Kay's choice for the final 5 was Sarah Wiedmaier:

Carrie, our Senior Merchant's pick for the final five is Linda Garrido:

Senior Designer Jennifer picked Caitlin Flemming's board to go to the final 5:

Sherry, our Senior Design Manager voted Diana Samper into the finals: 

And last but not least Senior Designer Blaire's pick is Yvonne P:

1/2/3/4/5

Chocolate Dots Bib/Paper Dolls Bib 

Visit us on Pinterest for more! 

We’re shaking things up a little for the 3rd Annual Modern Thanksgiving Contest. This year we want to see what your dream Modern Thanksgiving table would look like.

Here’s how it works:

1. Start a Pinterest board named “My Modern Thanksgiving” and start pinning inspirations and pieces that you would use to set and decorate your perfect table. Make sure to tag your pins #ModThksgving so we can find them! Tweet them to us too for extra points: @DwellStudio! (Need a Pinterest invite? Let us know!)

2. Next Thursday we will pick our favorite 5 boards and post them to our blog and Facebook.

3. After all the entries are up, we'll open the polls - All our designers will also be ranking the finalists from 1 - 5 as well,  and the winners will be determined by a combined score of votes and our designers rankings! Winners will be announced on Tuesday November 22nd.

The Prizes:

1st Place: $500 shopping spree on dwellstudio.com

2nd Place: $250 shopping spree on dwellstudio.com

3rd Place: $100 shopping spree dwellstudio.com

Can't wait to see your pins!! 

Congratulations to all our lovely finalists- we were so impressed by everyone's entries:

And now- the moment you've all been waiting for- the results! 

In First Place- Melanie Blodgett

In Second Place- Johanna Troupe

In Third Place-  CJ Curameng 

Congrats to our winners! 

We always have such a great time with this contest- be sure to stay tunned to our Facebook page-- there are more contests and giveaways coming soon! 

Voting starts NOW and ends at Noon EST on Thursday December 2nd! Our winners will be announced that afternoon.

Here's what's at stake: 

1st Place: $500 shopping spree on dwellstudio.com

2nd Place: $250 shopping spree on dwellstudio.com

3rd Place: A pillow of your choice from dwellstudio.com

And now- without further ado- Our 5 finalists (in random order): 

 Johanna Troupe:

CJ Curameng:

Christina Loucks Ahumada:

Stacy Amoo-Mensah:

Melanie Blodgett:

Cast your vote below! Good Luck to all our finalists!  

The second issue of Rue is hot off the presses-so to speak- and man is it good!

If you can find a spare second in the Holiday rush- do yourself a favor and take a look. 

We found some great table-top inspiration to share:   

 Take a look for yourself HERE> 

And don't forget to send in your Modern Thanksgiving Contest entries! 

How inspired is covering the kid's table with kraft paper? Such a chic (and cheap) way to keep the kiddies entertained- just add crayons! 

Don't forget to send in your Modern Thanksgiving Contest entries!

(images from 1. Unknown 2. Country Living 3. Frog Prince Paperie 4.Southern Living)

Today some simple tricks from Martha Stewart:

We loved her Pear Place Card so much we gave it a try ourselves (above) And don't discount the gourd center piece! There are so many ways to make them look sleek and modern- with hardly any effort:

We can't wait to see your submissions! (View the rules HERE>)

 (Image Sources: A Design Story, Martha Stewart)

It must be time for DwellStudio's 2nd Annual Modern Thanksgiving Contest!

Last year we challenged you to style your ideal Modern Thanksgiving table using things you already had around the house, and we were blown away by the creativity of your submissions.

We've always said that the definition modern style is constantly evolving- this year we interpreted it in the bright colors and bold patterns of our designs. But we want to know what you think. So, for the Second Annual Modern Thanksgiving Contest we want to see how you define modern this year.

THE RULES:

1. Submit up to 3 photos of your interpretation of a Modern Thanksgiving table setting before Monday, Nov 29th to blog@dwellstudio.com.

2. We’ll post the top 5 entries on the blog on Tuesday, Nov 30th

3. After all the entries are up,  we'll open the polls- our winners will be announced on Thursday December 2.

THE PRIZES:

1st Place: $500 shopping spree on dwellstudio.com

2nd Place: $250 shopping spree on dwellstudio.com

3rd Place: A pillow of your choice from dwellstudio.com

Here's a look at last year's winners for some inspiration:

See more HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE

HAPPY STYLING!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered and voted in our very first contest - we had so much fun and it looks like everyone involved did as well.

Without further ado...(drumroll, please):

Winner #1: Valorie Hart, The Visual Vamp

Winner #2: Kirsten Grove, Simply Grove

Winner #3: We have a tie....it's Florida all over again!  It was too close to call this one so we are awarding both finalists: Joslyn Taylor, Simple Lovely & Allyson Baker, Allyson Baker Design.

Congrats to all our winners and thanks to all who voted.  Stay tuned for our next contest, coming soon!

www.visualvamp.blogspot.com